Project Description

INKTOBER 52 2024 Week #14: SIDE KICK.

“Look! Sidekicks doing side kicks! One could very easily make the argument that PMD, among many other things, is my sidekick. You could just as easily make the argument that I’m HIS sidekick. Anyway, I’ve always loved the side kick, even before I stepped onto my first dojo floor in 1995. A good side is not only powerful, but also just looks cool to me. Even the silhouette of someone side kicking clearly represents martial arts in general to pretty much everyone, including those who have never trained.
Spend enough time studying and practicing any traditional martial art and you will eventually realize that they are all more similar than different. Different styles may focus on different techniques, but many differences simply boil down to subtle variations, each with their own reasons, benefits, and drawbacks.
Visually, I love a good flying side kick like PMD is performing (and they are fun to do), but when hitting my heavy bag, I really like the feel of a side thrust kick. It’s easy to deliver a lot of power when performed correctly; you don’t really have to alter it much if you throw one with shoes on (at least the kind of shoes I wear); you don’t have to worry about bending your toes back or jamming toes; and because you walk and run on the surfaces of your feet you strike with in a side kick, you don’t have to worry much about conditioning for impact (like you do when kicking with the shin or instep).
Anyway, I’ll stop myself before I go on an even longer karate nerd ramble. But, yeah. Side kicks are cool.”

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